Following Ringo’s Tracks on Land and Water

I am a mother of two and a big fan of public transportation. So, when I heard that the “Zürcher Verkehrsverbund” ZVV created unique outings for children, I was all the happier. The adventures are called Ringo-Reisen, where the penguin Ringo and his friends take the children on all sorts of great adventures. On these trips, families explore new places, puzzle, and travel solely by public transport.

We chose the trip “Ringo’s Dream House”. The task on this adventure is to find the five letters that will lead us to the place where Ringo built the house of his dreams. On our search, we discover exciting places on Lake Zurich by train, boat and on foot. My son Kyan and his friend Melyah are set out to find the missing word. Motivated, among others, by the reward that is waiting for them at the end of the trip.

Our excursion starts at Pfäffikon SZ train station from where we walk to the pier. As soon as we arrive at the lake, Kyan and Melyah set off in search for the first letter. It doesn’t take them long to find it, and they happily exclaim: “These puzzles are really cool”. A few minutes later, we see the boat approaching. We are looking forward to the boat trip to Ufenau Island.

Ship Ahoy!

The ship docks and the crew welcomes us on board. On the upper deck, I enjoy the breathtaking view of Lake Zurich and the mountains, while the children are visibly having fun. We catch sight of Ufenau Island, our next stop on Ringo’s journey. We admire the beautiful nature, and the chapel on the hill.

Shortly after setting foot on land, Kyan and Melyah start their search for letter number two. After a successful hunt, we start exploring the small and charming island.

Do Cows Live on the Island?

Birds are chirping, cows are mooing – mooing? We didn’t expect to hear that sound. But there it is: A cow herd comfortably eating grass and minding their own business. After this unexpected encounter we set off to visit St. Martin’s Chapel and the church of St. Peter and Paul. “There are skulls in the church,” knows Kyan. Fearlessly they enter the premises to admire the skulls in the vault.

At lunch time, we go to the restaurant and enjoy a lovely meal. With food in our tummies and in good mood, we go back to the pier to take the boat that brings us to Rapperswil – the third and last leg of our journey. In order to find the remaining letters, we walk along the route that leads us past the Rapperswil Lido, the playground and the famous castle.

While the children are excitedly looking for the last letters, I enjoy the stroll in the city of roses. On this outing, the kids and I visited numerous great places while discovering the southeastern upper lake area by public transport.

Many a Playground

Once the kids found all the letters, we go to the playground near the castle to play and let off steam.

After some extensive seesawing and sliding, we go to last stop of the trip: the Fish Market in Rapperswil. Kyan and Melyah are eager to get their reward in exchange of the keyword. At the Visitor Center Zürichsee they hand in their brochure and receive their well-deserved gift. “That was a great excursion. And we got a present!” exclaim the two of them.

This brings our successful excursion to an end. On our way back, we sing Ringo’s song: “Fly, Ringo, fly.” If you want to know where Ringo’s dream house is…well, we won’t tell.

Tips and Links Kinderregion

• You can order the brochure “Ringo’s Traumhaus” with travel descriptions and information about the puzzle here (only in German)
• Flying out with Ringo: Info on all five Ringo trips
• Audio story “Fly Ringo, fly” by Andrew Bond (only in german)
• Other exciting family trails
• Excursions in the region Lake Zurich
• En route in the Children’s Region by train, bus, tram or boat